Pat Barry vs. Soa Palelei added to UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia

A heavyweight matchup between Pat Barry and Soa Palelei has been added to December’s UFC Fight Night 33 in Brisbane, Australia.

The booking was first announced by Australian outlet WAtoday.com.au, and UFC officials later confirmed the booking.

UFC Fight Night 33 takes place Dec. 7 in the Queensland capital at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Broadcast plans haven’t been announced, but the event is expected to air on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on Facebook. Due to the time difference, the event takes place Saturday, Dec. 7, in Australia (but Friday, Dec. 6, in the U.S.).

Both fighters have verbally agreed to the matchup, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.

“HD” Barry (8-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) looks to rebound from a surprising June loss to Shawn Jordan, which ended via TKO in just 59 seconds. Prior to that loss, Barry had fought most recently in December 2012, when he earned a knockout win over Shane Del Rosario.

A fan-favorite, Barry has never earned back-to-back wins in the UFC. However, the former professional kickboxer has also fought to a decision just once in his 14-fight UFC career and is a two-time “Fight of the Night” winner for the promotion.

Meanwhile, Australian Palelei (19-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) made his UFC debut back in 2007 and suffered a TKO loss to Eddie Sanchez. It would take nearly six full years before “The Hulk” was invited back to the UFC, and only after he went 11-1 on the regional scene.

His return to the octagon wasn’t terribly memorable, as he gutted out a sloppy third-round TKO win over promotional newcomer Nikita Krylov. However after the fight, Palelei revealed he’d suffered a broken rib prior to the fight but was not willing to give up his chance to fight in the UFC.

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